PICKUP Basketball Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Card Information
• Game Set Up
• Taking Your Turn
• Special Abilities
  • Passive Special Abilities
  • Active Special Abilities

Card Information

Each Player Card shows:

• A. Player Name
• B. Player Value — The higher the value, the better the Player Card.
• C. Offense — How many points you score if the Player Card is shooting against no one. Value goes from 1-10.
• D. Defense — How many points you stop when a shot is made against the Player Card. Value goes from 1-10.
• E. Shot Zones — The numbers that you need to roll to hit a shot.
• F. Special Abilities — Player Cards may have up to 3 Special Abilities that affect different aspects of the game. Make sure you read them.

Game Set Up

1. To start, remove all the Rookies (6), Veterans (4), and Front Office Deal (6) cards from the deck. You don't need them for this game.
2. Shuffle the remaining Player Cards and each player drafts 3 Player Cards to create their team. For your first time playing, deal out the cards or let players randomly select.
3. Both players place their cards face down on the court positions in the 3v3 court around the Center Court Token.
4. Flip your cards over and look at the matchups on the court. You cannot move your cards into a different Court Position (unless a special ability allows you to).
5. Read all of the Special Abilities on both teams to know how to strategize your moves. (More details on special abilities on reverse page.)
6. Each team rolls the dice with the higher roller going first. If there is a tie, roll again.

Bump fists, wish each other good luck, and start the game!

Taking Your Turn

1. Select the Player Card you want to shoot with (the shooter) and push them forward on the court.
2. Roll two dice and up the numbers (we recommend rolling into the game box).
3. If the combined dice roll matches any of the numbers in the shooter's Shot Zones, then it's a made shot!
   • If it's a made shot, the shooter STAYS on the court. The Player Card directly across from them (the defender) is sent off the court and out of the game to the Discard pile.
   • For a made shot, you score the difference between the OFFENSE on the shooter's card minus the DEFENSE on the defender's card.
   • You score ONE point if the shooter's OFFENSE is less than or equal to the defender's DEFENSE.
   • If there is no defender (open shot), you score the full OFFENSE.
4. If the combined dice roll does not match any of the numbers in the shooter's Shot Zones, then it's a missed shot!
   • If the shot is missed, the shooter is sent off the court and out of the game to the Discard pile.

Teams alternate taking one shot per turn with a Player Card. You can shoot on your turn as long as you have a Player Card on the court.

Whoever has the most points wins. If there is a tie, restart the game with new Player Cards.

Play a best-of-3 series and restart each game with new Player Cards.

Special Abilities

Don't forget to read what's on the bottom of the Player Cards on both sides of the court. Each card has one or more Special Abilities that affect the game in different ways. Remember to call out Special Abilities as they are activated, before or after the shot.

We recommend playing a practice game without special abilities and incorporating them once everyone is comfortable with the shooting/scoring.

Passive Special Abilities

(automatically active once a player is on the court)

• FLOOR GENERAL: While a Player Card with Floor General is on your team, add +1 to the OFFENSE of their teammate.
• DIMER: While a Player Card with Dimer is on your team, add 2 and 12 to the Shot Zones of their teammates.
• LOCKDOWN DEFENDER: Remove 7 from the Shot Zones of the opposing card.
• DEFENSIVE ANCHOR: While a Player Card with Defensive Anchor is on your team, add +1 to the DEFENSE of their teammates.

Active Special Abilities

(can only be used when it's your turn)

• SPARK PLUG: Once a Player Card with Spark Plug is placed on the court for the first time, draw an additional Player Card from the deck. This can only be used once per turn. Note that you can substitute out a Player Card on the court for the Player Card you draw.
• PICK AND ROLL (PnR) SPECIALIST: This Player Card can switch places with a teammate on the court. This can only be used once per turn.
• HUSTLE POINTS: After a teammate misses a shot, this Player Card can shoot. Standard shooting rules apply.
• MIND GAMES: When a Player Card with Mind Games misses a shot, the opposing player has to send their Player Card on the court to the Discard Pile.
• MICROWAVE: If a Player Card with this ability makes a shot rolling a 7, you have the option to shoot again. Standard shooting rules apply. If you roll a 7 again, repeat.
• ANKLE BREAKER: If a Player Card with this ability makes a shot rolling a 7, ignore the defender's Defensive Value.
• SHARPSHOOTER: Add +2 to the Offensive Value of this Player Card when they roll a 7 while shooting.
• HIGH IQ: If a Player Card on the court has High IQ, once per turn, you can look at the top card of the Draw Pile. Then you can choose to place the card on the top or bottom of the Draw Pile.